Pom Pom Tutorial

As I promised, here's the tutorial for the Pom Poms from the last post.

1. Buy tissue paper that has at least 18 sheets. I personally don't think the size really matters.

2. Make sure you have some good strong/sharp scissors. Tangent... does anyone have Cutco scissors? We had a pair and they claim they can cut a penny in half! I want to use Cutco scissors with these pom poms because that is the hardest part... I digress.

3. Stack all 18 sheets on top of each other and begin folding the tissue paper length wise in about inch-and-a-half folds alternating sides so you begin to make a fan.

I really didn't make this too precise. It really doesn't matter and all small errors won't be seen.

4. Once you have the whole length folded you will cut each side either with a rounded tip or triangle tip. I chose to cut these pink ones with a triangle because I was struggling with the dull scissors I had and then tried to use an exacto knife. The exacto knife sort-of worked but if I didn't go slow and carefully I would rip the tips off the tissue paper. Not good, but not a disaster either.

The pieces you see on the sizes was just the excess I had already cut off. If you think about it, taking 18 pieces of tissue paper and folding them over according style about 8 times, you get a very thick stack of tissue paper. It was just difficult to cut through all that without a good pair of sharp scissors... hence Cutco scissors!!

5. Fold it in half and put a small gage wire aroud it and make both ends of the wire meet back up together on one side of the paper. This is what you will use to hang your pom pom. I just brought them together and twisted the ends a few times then trimmed the ends close to the twists.

So this is what mine looked like after I cut both sides and folded it together... not perfect in the least... no big deal! This project is extremely forgiving.

6. Nows the fun part! begin by grabbing the top layer of the tissue paper and pull it back towards the middle fold. Then pull the next layer and so on. I will do about half on one side flip it and pull the other half on the other side. Once you have pulled each layer of tissue paper you will have your pom pom and you can fluff and arrange! I tie a thin string around the wire and use that to hang the pop poms! Enjoy!!!

Here's where I found the tutorial the first time I tried it. I figured I would give a bit more explaination because it took me a while to understand their directions.

HA! This is really funny!!! I just re-read the instructions and realized it said eight sheets and not eighteen! Ha!!! That is so typical me! I'll have to try that next time... maybe it would be easier to cut ;)

Party Planner Wanna-Be!

I have always wanted to be a party planner! I thrive on lots of little ideas to make one big thing happen. There's such a feeling of accomplishment in that for me. Well, recently I have been in charge of two parties' decorations. A woman at my work is getting married so we threw her a bridal shower. I had no idea what her colors were and since it was a surprise I couldn't exactly ask her. Plus we were having the shower in our conference room so it wasn't like I could go all out; and on top of all that I'm POOR!!! I'm not about to go all out when its on my dime! Sorry, that's just the way it is. I had seen these pom poms and had been wanting an excuse to make them. I went to Target and bought 2 packages of tissue paper. I love the color selection Target has. Oh, and please excuse the quality of these pictures! I took them with my IPhone.

How cute right?!

The amazing Target (I love Target) had these galvanized tins and I just bought white daises to go in them. I used white beans because that's all I had in my pantry, to fill the tins and hold the flowers in place. You can use any bean or lentil just DON'T ADD WATER!!! If you choose a flower that has to have water then wrap the stems in a plastic bag with water in it and secure it with a rubber band. The water to lentils or beans just makes them expand and explode over the container.

About a week later I helped host a baby shower for my cousin. We knew she was having a girls so that was an easy choice on color!

Because I already had the beans and one pink tin I went back to Target and they still had a few more tins! OH! and by the way... these tins were in the dolor sections!!! Score!!! So I put one set of flowers and pink tin on each gift table and there you have it! Decorating for a party can be simple, easy, and cheap! The big pom poms added a lot of color and pop to the room and it was really all that was needed. We had one big bouquet on the food table and some nice china and all was done! My dad always said, "keep it simple stupid!" I've always loved that motto! Come back tomorrow and I'll give you a tutorial for the pom poms! They are super easy... I promise!!!

A Fresh Start {Handmade Jewelry}

After much thought and deliberation, I've decided to change things up a bit. I love to craft, create, design, and make pretty things. I don't have a particular one thing I make and don't want to get pigeon holed into just jewelry... because to be honest... I make headbands, crochet and knit, and dream about making furniture. (I have a plan to make a headboard this weekend!) One thing is pretty much a constant with me though. I LOVE color! Ask anyone who knows me I will wear the brightest colors available and mix them often. The other day I wore a bright green shirt, purple shoes, a turquoise ring, pink and red earrings and brown pants. I may have looked like a rainbow threw up on me but I loved it! Color makes me happy, pretty things make me happy. Hence the change. Colour Yourself Design is a new project of mine and we will see where it will go. I have no idea what my plan is (a bad business plan, ha!) but it is just something that has been on my mind for a while. You will see a link to the side where you can find my Etsy shop as well as ways to contact me. So I want to say welcome to all you blog stalkers! I'm a blog stalker myself and love the idea of blogs. I hope you enjoy reading, getting ideas and by all means... stealing ideas! I don't claim my ideas are original. I see something I like and I try to make it myself. It is normally a bit different based on my own taste and design but I usually am inspired by things I see. So, enough writing... lets get to the pictures!